G36 



Monthly Review of Literature, 



friends to maintain his credit. " The truth 

 is," observes Lord Londonderry, " with 

 many of the qualities requisite to constitute 

 a general, he was deficient in that upon 

 which, more than any other, success in war 

 must ever depend he wanted confidence in 

 himself he was afraid of responsibility 

 he underrated the qualities of his own 

 troops, and greatly overrated those of his 

 adversary. Yet let justice be done. He 

 acted under circumstances at once difficult 

 and trying. He was harassed by being 

 made, in some degree, dependent upon the 

 opinions of others while of support from 

 the authorities in the country, as well mili- 

 tary as civil, he was from the first absolutely 

 destitute. Sir John Moore was, moreover, 

 a brave and high-spirited soldier he refused 

 to treat for the quiet embarkation of his 

 troops he preferred the honour of the army 

 to its safety ; and by preferring the one, he 

 provided for the other also.'* 



The appointment of Sir Arthur Wellesley 

 to the chief command was singularly wel- 

 come to the army his own conduct at and 

 after the battle of Vimiera, and still more, 

 perhaps, that of his superiors, had endeared 

 him to the troops. He had won the victory, 

 and would willingly have followed it up ; 

 and the fruits were thrown away by the 

 ignorance or timidity of others. He arrived 

 in Spain in April 1809, and forthwith 

 marched towards the Douro, and skirmished 

 more than once with Soult, who retiring to 

 Orense, the pursuit was abandoned. Re- 

 turning to Coimbra, and being there joined 

 by a reinforcement of 5,000 men, he moved 

 towards the south, to open a communication 

 with Cuesta. The conduct of the Spaniards 

 had given considerable dissatisfaction, nor 

 were matters much mended by Sir Arthur's 

 interview with the old and feeble Cuesta. 

 After this interview, Sir Arthur directed his 

 march towards Victor's position when that 

 able commander withdrew across the Tagus, 

 and being followed by the British troops, in 

 July the battle of Talavera was fought. 



Victorious as he had been, Sir Arthur 

 now created Lord Wellington found him- 

 self, with an army diminished by his vic- 

 tory, and still further enfeebled by sickness 

 9,000, at one time, on the sick-list obliged 

 to retreat, leaving behind him many hun- 

 dreds of the sick, who were, however, treated 

 kindly by the enemy and in December 

 following, the troops were placed in line 

 along the frontiers of Portugal, between the 

 Douro and the Tagus. In this position, 

 with a few changes, they continued till the 

 summer of 1810, generally in an inactive 

 state, and not, on the whole, in the narra- 

 tive before us, adequately accounted for 

 though the non-fulfilment of engagements, 

 on the part of the Spaniards, might justify 

 the commander's holding back a little. At 

 this period, Ciudad Rodrigo, after an obsti- 

 nate resistance by the native garrison, was 

 taken by Massena ; and on the consequent 



advance of the French, it became necessary 

 for the British troops to retire within the 

 lines that had been forming, through the 

 spring and summer, at Torres Vedras. 

 These had been completed, to something, 

 as Lord Londonderry curiously phrases it, 

 " of the nature of impregnability" the 

 object being, of course, to keep the sea open 

 behind them. In the course of this retreat, 

 occurred, in September, the battle of Busaco. 

 Massena continued the pursuit, and finally 

 halted before the lines of Torres Vedras ; 

 but finding them, we suppose, to have so 

 much "of the nature of impregnability," 

 he withdrew, and took up a position at 

 Santarem. 



At Santarem, Massena remained inac- 

 tive or rather, as it afterwards appeared, 

 making preparations for retiring into Spain 

 and Wellington behind his lines neither 

 party being in a condition to disturb the 

 other. At last, on the 5th March 1811, 

 Massena suddenly decamped, and hastened 

 towards the frontiers, and Wellington lost 

 not a moment in pursuing him which 

 ended, however, in the blockade of Almeida 

 by the British. The particulars of this 

 pursuit Lord Londonderry omits having 

 himself been absent three months, on ac- 

 count of illness. Leaving, now, the forces 

 in the neighbourhood of Almeira, Lord 

 Wellington himself proceeded to Badajos, 

 before which was a considerable force under 

 Beresford; but being quickly recalled to 

 the north, Beresford was left to conduct the 

 siege of Badajos. Now followed the battle 

 of Fuentes de Honora, and the unlucky 

 relief of Almeida which last event con- 

 ferred, certainly, no honour on the vigilance 

 of the Engliah troops ; and before Welling- 

 ton could return to Badajos, was fought the 

 murderous battle of Albuera, in May ; and 

 in the following month, Wellington, seeing 

 nothing could be done, directed the siege of 

 Badajos to be raised. 



By the end of July, the forces were re- 

 assembled before Ciudad Rodrigo, to block- 

 ade it ; and some time after, the siege of 

 the place was commenced, and in January 

 1812, a breach being reported practicable, 

 peremptory orders were issued, on the 19th, 

 to carry it by assault, before seven o'clock 

 that night ; and before seven, accordingly, 

 it was carried and here the narrative stops, 

 It is, as we have said, exceedingly distinct. 

 The author is extremely cautious of express- 

 ing opinions that imply censure, and seems 

 to write constantly with the fear of his 

 brother officers before his eyes ; and of the 

 Duke of Wellington his admiration is per- 

 fectly unbounded. The confidence of the 

 army was undoubtedly unlimited ; and they 

 must, after all, be the best judges ; they 

 gave him full credit for doing all that 

 circumstances would permit, and, of course, 

 not without good reason. But, generally, 

 the style of Lord Londonderry is too 

 laudatory in every little skirmish the con- 



